North American Premiere
by Brad Fraser
Directed by Cameron Mackenzie
Co-produced with Ruby Slippers Theatre
May 12-28, 2016, PAL Theatre
“What a joy to see five veteran Vancouver actresses do their thing at close quarters in Cameron Mackenzie’s very good production”
Jerry Wasserman, Vancouver Plays
“Fraser’s script has a big heart, it features vivid characters, and it delivers a ton of raucous laughs—many of which are ribald…. Veena Sood is stellar… Beatrice Zeilinger is impressively subtle… in the darker parts of the script, the rage and self-loathing, (Deborah) Williams is fearless”
Colin Thomas, Georgia Straight
“5@50 is sharp and funny. I laughed in spite of myself.”
Jo Ledingham
“What a tremendous pleasure to see five performers at the height of their powers chewing through such complex material. And the intimacy of the PAL theatre gives you plenty of opportunity to enjoy the depth of the performances.”
Erika Thorkelson, Vancouver Sun
“Though there are plenty of laughs in 5 @ 50, it would be misleading to call it a feel-good show. But beneath all the darkness, the crude dialogue, and Fraser’s trademark hedonism is a touching sincerity and an underpinning of resilience that is actually pretty inspiring.”
Erika Thorkelson, Vancouver Sun
When Olivia loses control at her fiftieth birthday party, her three best friends decide to intervene once and for all, much to the irritation of Olivia and her lover, Norma. 5 @ 50 is a raw and darkly comedic portrayal of turning fifty in contemporary society, and of the friendships we can’t live without.